The present invention generally relates to an apparatus for storing ice fishing equipment. More specifically, the present invention relates to an apparatus for storing ice fishing tackle, such as ice fishing rods and tip-ups that are commonly used in ice fishing.
In northern portions of the United States, many lakes freeze and accumulate up to two or three feet of ice, or more, during the winter time. This ice layer does not deter fishermen. Instead, ice fishing is a very popular sport in northern climates, where ice fishermen auger holes in the ice to fish through the ice. Indeed, entire villages of ice fishing shanties accumulate on some of the more popular frozen lakes.
Ice fishing rods are generally much shorter in length than rods that are used to fish in open water. Typically, ice fishing rods range in length from about one foot, or so, up to about two and a half or three feet, or so, in length. Besides ice fishing rods, many ice fishermen also use a device that is known as a “tip-up”. A “tip-up” typically includes a base or a frame and a reel or reel-type device that is mounted thereon for holding fishing line. The name “tip-up” comes from the movement of a flag or arm that is tripped when a fish grabs the lure or hook and consequently causes movement of the reel. This movement of the reel trips the flag or arm and causes the flag or arm to “tip-up.” When the flag or arm tips up, this notifies the fisherman that a fish has grabbed the lure or hook.
Ice fishermen commonly store their ice fishing rods and/or tip-ups in plastic pails or buckets. These pails or buckets typically range in size from about three gallons, or so, up to about five gallons or more. Such use of these pails keeps all of the ice fishermen's fishing rods and/or tip-ups within easy reach and offers a convenient method of carrying multiple ice fishing rods and/or tip-ups on frozen lakes when going ice fishing. Ice fishermen typically keep several different pre-rigged ice fishing rods and/or tip-ups in their pails. These rods and tip-ups are pre-rigged with artificial lures or with hooks and bobbers because the cold temperatures commonly found when ice fishing are not conducive to easy rigging after one is out on the frozen lake. Some ice fishermen may have as many as six, eight, or even ten pre-rigged ice fishing rods to allow selection of the appropriate pre-rigged rod when fishing for different species and when fishing at different depths, different locations, or different structure of the lake.
While the commonly used pail offers a convenient way to transport these multiple ice fishing rods and/or tip-ups, these pails also create another set of problems. Specifically, hooks, lures, and fishing line on adjacent pre-rigged ice fishing rods and/or tip-ups frequently become tangled with each other in the pail. These entanglements make it difficult to quickly switch between different rods especially when temperatures are cold and patience is running low.
Ice fishermen need a more convenient way of carrying pre-rigged ice fishing rods and tip-ups that makes it easy to retrieve a particular pre-rigged ice fishing rod or tip-up while also avoiding the problem of different pre-rigged rods and/or tip-ups becoming entangled with each other. The present invention offers a simple, yet effective, apparatus and technique that solves this problem, while allowing ice fishermen to continue using conventional plastic pails for carrying their pre-rigged ice fishing rods and/or tip-ups.